It Takes A Village

Historically, the phrase "It takes a village" has been said to indicate that a child or person is perceived to be difficult and that it takes multiple people to raise them or deal with them. Last weekend, while attending Nashville Ballet's Carmina Barana with my mom at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, I had a moment of clarity in which I realized that being raised and supported by a "village" is not a negative thing at all but in fact the best way for anyone to grow up and have the best chances of success. My mother is the Education and Operations Director of Dance St. Louis, a non-profit arts organization in St. Louis, Missouri that brings in dance companies from around the world to perform and teach in the inner city schools and give the performing arts back to the community. As part of her job, my mom oversees a program for talented high school dance students in low income areas that helps them with access and funds for dance classes and helps them through the college admissions process or the process for getting into a dance company. My mom goes above and beyond in helping these kids. She's gone to church with their families to gain their trust and chauffeured these kids around when they didn't have their own transportation. These kids call my mom at all times of the day and night when they need someone they trust to listen to their fears and struggles. It dawned on my Saturday night while I was with my mom while she was working at the Touhill and she introduced me to some of the students she works with and I saw them look at her with such love and respect that my mom is in fact their "village". And, she's not their "village" because they are difficult. She's their "village" because she believes in them and because she's in the best position to ensure their success in the profession they want to be in. As I came to this realiza I realized that I too had and still do have my own "village" looking out for me and helping me. I've had professors that believed in me, professionals in the safety and mining community go out of their way to help, my bankers in Kansas and my coworkers as well. They are my "village". A "village" is essential to not only a person's ability to strive in the world but to their ability to succeed and thrive in the world. Parents are great and do most of the heavy lifting in raising and supporting a child but my parents never could have given me the connections I needed to be successful as a safety professional. That's where my professors and mentors stepped in and became part of my "village". It took and still does take all of them everyday to keep me going. Homer Hickam once wrote in his book, Rocket Boys, that "a rocket won't fly unless someone lights it's fuse". The same can be said of the world's children, their dreams won't come to fruition unless their village lights their way. So to all of the many people who have been a part of my village, thank you. And to everyone who has taken the time to encourage and support someone who isn't your own child, thank you will never be enough.